New Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 Launches From $25

Today the official Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the arrival of the latest generation Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 (CM3) mini PC which is based on the Raspberry Pi 3 hardware, providing twice the RAM and roughly 10 x the processing performance of the original Pi Module.

The new Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 is available in two version from today the first is the Standard CM3 which is equipped with a BCM2837 processor at up to 1.2GHz with 1GByte RAM, the same as larger Raspberry Pi 3, together with 4Gbytes of on-module eMMC flash.

The second Compute Module version has been called the ‘Compute Module 3 Lite’ (CM3L) which still has the same BCM2837 and 1Gbyte of RAM, but is also equipped with an SD card interface on the Module pins so a user can wire this up to an eMMC or SD card of their choice. The Raspberry Pi Foundation explains more :

We are also releasing an updated version of our get-you-started breakout board, the Compute Module IO Board V3 (CMIO3). This board provides the necessary power to the Module and gives you the ability to program the Module’s flash memory (for the non-Lite versions) or use an SD card (Lite versions), access the processor interfaces in a slightly more friendly fashion (pin headers and flexi connectors, much like the Pi), and provides the necessary HDMI and USB connectors so that you have an entire system that can boot Raspbian (or the OS of your choice). This board provides both a starting template for those who want to design with the Compute Module, and a quick way to start experimenting with the hardware, and building and testing a system, before going to the expense of fabricating a custom board. The CMIO3 can accept an original Compute Module, CM3, or CM3L.

With the launch of CM3 and CM3 Lite, we are not obsoleting the original Compute Module; we still see this as a valid product in its own right, being a lower-cost and lower-power option where the performance of a CM3 would be overkill. CM3 and CM3L are priced at $30 and $25 respectively (excluding tax and shipping), and this price applies to any size order. The original Compute Module is also reduced to $25. Our partners RS and Premier Farnell are also providing full development kits, which include all you need to get started designing with the Compute Module 3.

The CM3 is largely backwards-compatible with CM1 designs which have followed our design guidelines. The caveats are that the Module is 1mm taller than the original Module, and the processor core supply (VBAT) can draw significantly more current. Consequently, the processor itself will run much hotter under heavy CPU load, so designers need to consider thermals based on expected use cases.

For more information on the new Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 (CM3) mini PC jump over to the official Raspberry Pi Foundation website for details and to purchase by following the link below.